Chris Webb

University Park, Penn. –The 2019 Penn State baseball schedule unveiled Tuesday by head coach Rob Cooper features 28 game dates (29 games) in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, 15 games against 2018 NCAA Tournament teams and the continuation of several Big Ten and regional matchups.

The Nittany Lions open the season Friday, Feb. 15 against Monmouth at the USA Baseball National Training Center in Cary, North Carolina. The three-game series is the first of a stretch of 10 neutral site and four road games before the home opener slated for Friday, Mar. 15. The Nittany Lions will host UMass Lowell during the opening series, playing four games in three days with a doubleheader Saturday.

SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS

· The 56-game schedule includes five opponents that participated in the 2018 NCAA Baseball tournament. Duke advanced to a Super Regional, while Minnesota, Indiana, Purdue and Ohio State were Regional participants.

· Penn State will open the season with back-to-back trips to the USA Baseball National Training Center in Cary, North Carolina, playing Monmouth during the first weekend (Feb. 15-17) and Fairfield (Feb. 22-24) during the second.

· Penn State will head south to the Sunshine State for Spring Break, playing Duke at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida (Mar. 1-3) and at UCF in Orlando (Mar. 8-10).

Piscataway, N.J. –Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Joe Litterio, Rutgers baseball released its 2019 schedule on Tuesday. The Scarlet Knights have 53 games listed, including 19 at Bainton Field and 24 in Big Ten play.

“I am happy with how the schedule came together for this season,” Litterio said. “The difficult early-season games will prepare us for league play in the competitive Big Ten Conference.”

The Scarlet Knights will open at Miami for the 10th time in 11 seasons with a three-game set beginning Feb. 15 against the Hurricanes. Next up, RU will take part in a tournament at New Orleans that will also feature games versus Butler and Chicago. Succeeding non-conference weekends will at Old Dominion and at USC Upstate. The spring break trip to Florida starts with a series at Florida Gulf Coast before playing Harvard midweek in Port Charlotte and wrapping up against Indiana State in a neutral weekend at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers.

The home opener at Bainton Field is scheduled for Feb. 26 versus Wagner, which would once again be the earliest home contest in program history. Ohio State, Michigan State, Purdue and Northwestern will all visit Piscataway during Big Ten play. The conference road trips will be to Iowa, Michigan, Penn State and Indiana. The top eight teams in the conference standings will qualify for the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha.

The Scarlet Knights are finishing up fall practice after improving by six wins in 2018. RU had a streak of six-straight series wins, winning seven-of-eight weekends during a stretch into mid-April. That included a 6-1 spring break trip in Florida that propelled the team to 12 victories in March, the most since 2001, and later to as high as seven games over .500 for the first time since 2012. The pitching staff lowered its season ERA from 6.11 to 4.82 and the gloves led the Big Ten with 50 double plays. At the plate, the Scarlet Knights picked up 111 RBIs with two outs for an average of more than two per game.

With the calendar set to turn over to November, not only is there just two months left in 2018, but the start of the 2019 college baseball season is nearly 100 days away. With the Feb. 15 start of the college baseball season inching closer and closer, here’s a look at the 2019 Big Ten schedule of games, as Minnesota looks to defend its second conference championship in three years, while the other 12 Big Ten programs look to knock the Gophers off their perch.

College Park, Md. — Maryland baseball head coach Rob Vaughn announced the program’s 2019 schedule Wednesday, which features marquee home series against East Carolina, Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan. All four of those programs have made the NCAA Tournament over the last two seasons, giving the Terps one of their strongest home slates in recent memory.

Maryland, who has made NCAA Regionals in three of the last five seasons, begins its 126th season of baseball in 2019. The Terrapins will play a total of 24 games at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium, including nine against teams that advanced the NCAA Tournament. The Terps will also play three-game sets on the road against two teams that advanced to NCAA Super Regionals last season: Stetson and Minnesota.

“One of the reasons that guys choose to come and play at Maryland is that they know, year in and year out, we will line up against some of the best teams in the country and this year is no different,” head coach Rob Vaughn said. “A trip to Louisiana-Lafayette along with competing against two regional hosts from last season in weeks four and five gives us a chance to see where we stack up. As always, the Big Ten is continuing to pump out good teams and we are excited to compete for a conference championship. We’ve got our hands full this year, but we aren’t going to back down from the challenge and we are looking forward to February!”

The Terps will play 13 games against teams that finished in the top-50 in the RPI in 2018, including six against top-20 RPI teams. Twenty-four games will be played against 2018 RPI Top-100 teams.

The Terps open the season in Conway, S.C. at a tournament hosted by 2016 National Champion Coastal Carolina where the Terps will also face Campbell and VCU (Feb. 15-17). Maryland begins its home slate with a three-game set against Maine (Feb. 22-24) before traveling to VCU for a midweek clash (Feb. 26).

Maryland will head to Sun Belt power Louisiana-Lafayette for a three game set (March 1-3) prior to hosting Delaware at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium (March 5). The Terps then go back on the road to face off with Stetson in a three-game series (March 8-10) before traveling to take on Delaware (March 13).

A super regional program in 2014 and 2015, Louisiana-Lafayette, who regularly ranks in the top-10 attendance in the nation, will provide a tough early test for Maryland. The Terps won its series against Stetson in College Park in 2018, the biggest series victory of the season for Maryland.

A three-game series between the Terps and East Carolina is Maryland’s final non-conference home set (March 15-17). The Terps traveled to face the Pirates on the road last year, and ECU will represent Maryland’s toughest home non-conference opponent since Cal State Fullerton came to College Park in 2015.

A five-game spring break road trip follows as the Terps clash with Elon for two midweek matchups (March 19-20) and go to Creighton (March 22-24) for a weekend series. Creighton plays its home games at TD Ameritrade Park, home of the Big Ten Tournament and the College World Series.

The Terps open Big Ten play against Indiana to finish out March (29-31) before making the short trip to William & Mary (April 2). Maryland then faces Illinois on the road in its second conference series (April 5-7). A pair of midweek home games against William & Mary (April 9) and West Virginia (April 10) come prior to the Terps returning to Illinois to take on Northwestern (April 12-14).

Indiana and Illinois will represent a big opportunity for the Terps in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers were an NCAA Regional club in 2018 while Illinois was one of the last four teams left out of the tournament last season.

Maryland hosts James Madison (April 16) before traveling to George Mason the following day (April 17). The Terps then face Ohio State for the first time since 2016 in a three-game home series (April 19-21). The Buckeyes rebounded from a tough 2017 campaign to make the NCAA Tournament in 2018.

The Terps face off with VCU in their return at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium on April 23 before a weekend set at Penn State (April 26-28). After a midweek clash at Villanova (May 1), the Terps host Michigan for three contests (May 3-5).

The final home midweek game of the season comes against Towson on May 7 before the Terps travel to face Minnesota for a three-game series (May 10-12). The Golden Gophers are the defending Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament Champions. After a road matchup with James Madison (May 14), Maryland closes the season with three games at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium against Iowa (May 16-18).

The Big Ten Tournament will take place at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., May 22-26. Maryland’s non-conference home weekend series tentatively have the following game times: Friday (4 p.m.), Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.). Maryland’s conference home weekend series will tentatively have a 6:30 p.m. first pitch time on Friday with first pitch times for Saturday and Sunday remaining at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. Game times are tentative until television broadcasts designations are announced.

Piscataway, N.J. –Rutgers baseball head coach Joe Litterio has announced the hiring of Tom Conley as an assistant coach. A four-year starter at catcher for Massachusetts, he spent the last two seasons on the coaching staff at Harvard. The Quincy, Massachusetts, native will work with the Scarlet Knight catchers among other duties.

“We are excited to welcome Tom to our staff,” Litterio said. “He brings with him a ton of knowledge and experience at the catching position.”

“My fiancée, Amelia, and I are excited to join the Rutgers University community,” Conley said. “I want to thank coach Litterio and the Rutgers administration for giving me this opportunity. I’m looking forward to working with the coaching staff and helping in any way that I can to get our guys better and achieve our goals.”

In his second year at Harvard in 2018, Conley saw success with the Crimson as he accompanied a successful team to a Beanpot Championship title — its first since 2014 and fifth in program history — and its most wins since 2005 with a 22-20 overall record. Harvard tied for third in the conference with a record of 12-9, with contribution from seven All-Ivy players and four NEIBA All-New England selections.

Conley was a part of the coaching staff that helped Noah Zavolas and Simon Rosenblum-Larson become 2018 MLB Draft picks for the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively. In addition, the team was recognized for the NCAA Academic Progress Rate Public Recognition Award, with 21 players recognized by the ECAC for academic accomplishments.

Conley previously spent three seasons at Trinity. During his tenure with the Bantams, Conley helped the team improve its conference record in each of his three seasons, working with the catchers and hitters. The team finished second in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships in 2016. Conley mentored five players who earned NESCAC All-Conference honors, including 2016 NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year Scott Cullinane at catcher.

As the head coach for the Pittsfield Suns of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, Conley assisted the Suns in reaching the playoffs in the past three seasons with the team winning its first playoff game in franchise history in 2014. He served as a mentor to four players selected in the Major League Baseball draft while in Pittsfield.

Conley served as an assistant coach at Bryant University during the 2012-13 season, and supported the team to the NEC Conference Championships. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts in 2012, where he played catcher, Conley later received his master’s degree from Trinity College in 2016.

Conley joins a Rutgers staff that also includes pitching coach Phil Cundari, assistant coach Jim Duffy, director of player development Peter Barron and senior advisor to the head coach Glen Gardner.

The Scarlet Knights are in the midst of fall practice after improving by six wins in 2018. RU had a streak of six-straight series wins, winning seven-of-eight weekends during a stretch into mid-April. That included a 6-1 spring break trip in Florida that propelled the team to 12 victories in March, the most since 2001, and later to as high as seven games over .500 for the first time since 2012. The pitching staff lowered its season ERA from 6.11 to 4.82 and the gloves led the Big Ten with 50 double plays. At the plate, the Scarlet Knights picked up 111 RBIs with two outs for an average of more than two per game.

Lincoln, Neb. — Head Coach Darin Erstad and the Nebraska baseball team announced the Huskers’ 2019 schedule on Wednesday, which includes 27 home games at Hawks Field.

Nebraska’s schedule features games against seven NCAA Tournament qualifiers from last season, including three College World Series participants. In addition, the Huskers face each of the top four teams from last year’s Big Ten standings.

NU begins its 54-game schedule with trips to California, Arizona and Texas. For the third consecutive year, the Huskers open their season against UC Riverside (Feb. 15-17). Nebraska visits the Highlanders for four games in Riverside, Calif., after squaring off each of the last two seasons in Tempe, Ariz.

Nebraska enters a daunting slate of seven neutral-site games when the Huskers play at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge (Feb. 21-24) and the Frisco College Baseball Classic (March 1-3). Three of Nebraska’s four opponents during that stretch – Oregon State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State – qualified for the 2018 College World Series. NU faces the reigning national champion Beavers four times at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz., from Feb. 21-24.

The Huskers make their second appearance in three years at the Frisco Classic when NU travels to Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas to open the month of March. Nebraska battles former Big 12 foe and 2018 CWS participant Texas Tech (March 1), reigning Southland regular-season champion Sam Houston State (March 2) and 2018 CWS qualifier Mississippi State (March 3) in Frisco.

NU’s home opener is set for Tuesday, March 5 against intrastate rival Omaha at Hawks Field. The Huskers and Mavericks meet twice in 2019, including an April 17 matchup at Werner Park in Omaha. NU has three games scheduled against its other intrastate rival, Creighton. The Huskers and Bluejays square off March 26 and April 23 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, and April 9 at Hawks Field.

The Huskers host former Big 12 brethren Baylor, March 8-10, to continue a 13-game homestand. The Bears won last season’s Big 12 Tournament en route to earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Huskers host North Dakota State on Wednesday, March 13 before a three-game set against New Mexico State (March 15-17) and a two-game series against Air Force (March 19-20). New Mexico State won last year’s WAC Tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska opens Big Ten play at home against Michigan State, March 22-24. NU also hosts conference series against Purdue (April 5-7), Illinois (April 26-28) and Michigan (May 16-18). All four opponents qualified for the eight-team Big Ten Tournament last year, including the Boilermakers, who finished second in the regular season and tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines finished third in the Big Ten last season, while the Fighting Illini took fourth place.

NU’s first Big Ten road trip is slated for March 29-31 at Minnesota. The Golden Gophers captured the 2018 Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles before advancing to the Super Regionals, where they fell to eventual national champion Oregon State.

Nebraska’s other Big Ten road series are at Penn State (April 12-14), Iowa (19-21) and Northwestern (May 4-6). The last time NU visited State College, Pa., the Huskers clinched the 2017 Big Ten regular-season crown with a win in the season finale. The Hawkeyes took sixth place in the Big Ten last season to earn a spot in the conference tournament.

The Huskers face former Big 12 rival Kansas State twice in 2019, visiting Manhattan, Kan., on April 2 before hosting the Wildcats at Hawks Field on April 16.

Before its final home series against Michigan, which concludes with Senior Day on May 18, Nebraska hosts Arizona State for a three-game series, May 10-12. The series history between the Huskers and Sun Devils includes NU’s first win in a College World Series game in 2005. The two teams last met at the 2007 NCAA Tempe Regional.

The Big Ten Tournament is scheduled for May 22-26 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb. The Huskers have taken runner-up honors twice at the tournament (2013, 2014) since joining the conference before the 2012 campaign. TD Ameritrade Park previously hosted the event in 2014, 2016 and 2018 in addition to the College World Series since 2011. The Big Ten Tournament returns to TD Ameritrade Park from 2020 to 2022.

New season tickets for the 2019 season can be purchased starting on Friday, Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. by visiting Huskers.com/tickets. Current season ticket holders will receive renewal information in the near future. Improvements and additional purchases will be available in January during the Seat Yourself process, which allows fans to choose their own seats at Hawks Field.

Champaign, Ill. — The Illinois baseball team’s class of newcomers for this season is ranked No. 22 in the nation by D1Baseball.com, the website released Monday. Illinois was previously ranked No. 24 in the nation by Baseball America.

“This is probably one of the top classes that we’ve had in my tenure,” head coach Dan Hartleb said during his Signing Day press conference in November. “It’s pitching heavy, which is so important in the game of baseball. And we met a lot of needs as far as athletes and position players.”

Two student-athletes were picked in the 2018 MLB Draft before choosing to honor their commitments to Illinois. Catcher Jacob Campbell was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 36th round and pitcher Aidan Maldonado was picked two rounds later by the Milwaukee Brewers. Both were in Baseball America’s top 300 prospects and were considered top 5-10 round talents at the conclusion of their senior years of high school before falling in the draft due to signability. Maldonado was up to 96 MPH this fall during his first semester on campus.

Pitcher Garrett Acton was also drafted out of high school in 2016 to make it three of 10 newcomers that have been selected by MLB clubs. Acton is one of three junior college pitching signees that are set to help the staff.

“These are some of the higher rated kids that we’ve had,” said Hartleb. “A lot of these players had committed or were on our radar from back in 2015 year.”

Illinois had an unprecedented season in 2015, winning 50 games and the NCAA Champaign Regional on the way to hosting the program’s first ever Super Regional. The Illini also had back-to-back seasons with a first-round pick in 2015 (Tyler Jay) and 2016 (Cody Sedlock) and the 2018 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Year in Bren Spillane, who became Illinois’ highest-ever drafted position player in June.

“I’m really excited about this group,” said Hartleb. “It meets what we’ve always tried to do as far as good student-athletes and guys that will try to work hard and get better.”

Iowa City, Iowa — The University of Iowa baseball team released the details of its 54-game 2019 schedule, it was announced Monday by head coach Rick Heller.

Below is a rundown of the Hawkeyes’ 2019 schedule:

– Twenty-six of Iowa’s 54 games will be played at Duane Banks Field. The Hawkeyes are 72-20 (.760) at home since the start of the 2015 season. The home opener is set for March 6 against a TBA opponent.

– Iowa will play 12 games against four NCAA Tournament teams and all 12 games will be on the road. The Hawkeyes will travel for three-game series at Oklahoma State, Indiana, Purdue, and Ohio State.

– The Hawkeyes will host Big Ten series against Illinois, Rutgers, Nebraska, and Michigan State.

– The Hawkeyes don’t play Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, or Penn State during the regular season, but Iowa will play a nonconference game against Northwestern at Impact Field in Rosemont, Illinois, on May 1.

– Iowa will open the season at the Diamond 9 Sunshine State Classic Series in Kissimmee, Florida, for a second straight season before traveling to Honolulu, Hawaii, for a four-game series at Hawaii.

– The Hawkeyes will also play nonconference series at Evansville, while hosting Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine at Banks Field.

– The 2019 Big Ten Tournament will be held at T.D. Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska, from May 22-26 for a second straight season. The Hawkeyes have advanced to the postseason five straight seasons — a school record.

Lincoln, Neb. –The Nebraska baseball team’s 2018 recruiting class is ranked 16th nationally by D1 Baseball, which announced its top 25 classes on Monday. The rankings are based on newcomers that arrived on campus this fall.

The Huskers achieved the best recruiting class ranking by a Big Ten team, six spots ahead of No. 22 Illinois. D1 Baseball compiled its rankings with help from Prep Baseball Report in addition to information from recruiting coordinators and scouts across the nation in an attempt to balance instant impact with long-term potential.

NU has 15 newcomers on the roster, including 11 freshmen, as the entire recruiting class made it to campus.

Two newcomers – Spencer Schwellenbach and Bo Blessie – were drafted in June 2018, but chose to come to Nebraska to play college baseball. Schwellenbach, an infielder/right-handed pitcher from Saginaw, Mich., was selected in the 34th round by the Cleveland Indians. Blessie, a right-handed pitcher from Midland, Texas, was drafted in the 36th round by the Washington Nationals.

In addition to D1 Baseball, NU also earned a top-35 spot from Baseball America on Sept. 18 when the publication released its “Next 10” after the top-25 class rankings. NU earned the second-best recruiting class ranking by a Big Ten team from Baseball America, behind only No. 24 Illinois.

St. Louis — Former Illinois pitcher Ken Holtzman was inducted Wednesday into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame during a banquet at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel. A number of University of Illinois representatives were in attendance, including current Illini head coach Dan Hartleb.

Holtzman was Illinois’ team MVP and an All-Big Ten selection in 1965 before debuting in the Major Leagues with the Chicago Cubs in the same year. He spent 15 years in MLB, pitching in 451 games with a 174-150 record and 3.49 ERA.

Holtzman is one of the most decorated Illini players ever. He was part of the Oakland A’s starting rotation for back-to-back-to-back World Series titles in 1972-74 and was an MLB All-Star in 1972 and ’73.